The Boy with the Ponytail
by LEDStories
Summary: Leo's life gets turned around when a new boy comes to his school (cliche, I know). A modern high school AU type thing. Leokumi trash. Rated T because of stronger themes. Sadly I don't own any of the rights to Fire Emblem, all rights go to their respective companies. Incomplete. . . for now
1. Chapter 1

Leo sat idly in class waiting for the bell to ring. He opened the book he recently checked out of the library. The book was nothing overly special, but it was enough to distract him. . . only to be brought back to the real world by Niles violently shaking him. "What do you want?" Leo asked not bothering to disguise the annoyance in his voice.

"Lookie over there," Niles pointed to a girl in the front of the class. She had very long silver hair pulled into a high ponytail who was turned away from them talking to the teacher. Leo had never seen her before, odds were that she was more than likely a new student. "She's real cute. It's not often that we get fresh meat." Niles licked his lips.

Leo suppressed the urge to gag and questioned why he was even friends with such a pervert. "Keep it in your pants," Leo sighed.

"Hey Rapunzel!" Some guys from the other side of the class hollered and threw a paper ball at the new girl.

"What did you just call me?" The paper ball bounced off the back of the new girl's head and she, or rather he turned around. He, although looking like a she from behind due to his long hair, was quite obviously a boy.

Laughter came from the same group of guys who threw the paper. "Dude, he totally looks like a girl. That's so gay."  
The teacher turned around and gave the boys a dirty look, "Do you want to go to the principle's office?" She snapped.  
"No ma'am," the group of boys faked guilt.

Both Leo and the new boy rolled their eyes. The new boy took a seat at the empty desk behind Leo.  
Leo learned the boy's name was Takumi. He didn't pay much mind to Takumi for two reasons. First of all, Takumi was behind him and the teacher would've nagged his ear off if he turned around to try to talk to Takumi. Secondly, Takumi didn't do much to try to strike up conversation. In fact, Leo could hear Takumi tapping away on his phone whenever there was a small break.

Leo's day went on as per usual. At lunch, Leo couldn't help but notice Takumi. After all, having unnaturally long hair, even for a girl, and sitting alone would draw at least some attention.

"Hey! Leo? Leeeeeeoooooo?" Odin was waving his hand frantically in front of Leo's face.

"What?!" Leo's focus snapped back to his friends.

"You seem so distracted," Niles said following Leo's gaze. Niles saw Leo was staring at Takumi. "Oh," Niles smirked. "You've been looking at the new boy all day. Do you have a crush on him."

"Shut up," Leo rolled his eyes drowning out the kissing noises Niles was making.

"Imagine it," Niles smirked. "Oh Takumi," he said in a voice badly mimicking Leo's, "Take me Takumi."

Leo punched Niles in the arm, "Shut up."

"Hey," Niles held up his hands grinning. "I call it like I see it."

At the end of the day the bell rung and people nearly flew out of the class. Leo took his time packing his things. He double checked making sure he had everything he needed. He walked out of the classroom to nearly empty halls. People really didn't waste any time leaving the school. As he took his leave, he noticed Takumi waiting on a bench outside of school. He considered saying something but then decided against it.

Leo got into Camilla's car and they drove home.

"How was school darling?" Camilla asked.

"I'm not a kid anymore Camilla, you can't keep calling me 'darling'," Leo replied.

"Sorry," Camilla said. Both of them knew she was going to call Leo darling no matter what his age. "How was your day?"  
"It was fine," Leo stated.

"Fine good or fine bad?" Camilla inquired.

"It was just fine," Leo shrugged. "There's this new kid, Takumi." Leo thought about Takumi then wondered why he all day his thoughts always seemed to wander back to Takumi. Leo just assumed it had to have been the most interesting thing to happen during Leo's time in high school, second only to when a senior blew up one of the cafeteria microwaves during Leo's freshmen year.

They pulled up to the house and Leo got out. He walked in and went directly to his room. He tried to work on his homework as he drowned out the sounds of Elise describing her day in vivid detail to Camilla from downstairs. He wondered how it was humanly possible for one person to make so much noise. After he was done with his homework, Leo went downstairs for dinner. Camilla, as usual, had prepared dinner.

After dinner, Leo texted Niles and Odin for a while. He eventually called it a night and shut off the lights. He laid in his bed when he heard the garage door open. A door slammed and heavy footsteps made their way from the garage to the kitchen. At first Leo couldn't make anything out besides incoherent yelling.

"You ungrateful child!" Leo's father shouted followed by a loud smack. His speech was slurred and he was obviously drunk. "You have no right to talk to me like that in my own household!"

"But father-" Camilla cried out in protest. Her words were only followed by another smack and more shouting. After another ten or so minutes of shouting and everything soon grew quiet.

Leo closed his eyes and tried to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Leo tried to get to know Takumi a bit more. He was curious, mainly about why Takumi kept his hair so long. Leo wouldn't have been surprised if someone told him that Takumi had never gotten a haircut in his life. The bell hadn't rung yet and Leo heard Takumi tapping away on his phone. "What are you doing?" Leo turned around and asked Takumi.

"Texting," Takumi responded, not bothering to glance up from his phone.

"Who are you texting?" Leo asked trying to keep the conversation moving.

"Some friends," Takumi replied, still not looking at Leo.

"Alright," Leo pursed his lips. He sighed and turned back to his book. It was obvious Takumi wasn't looking to make conversation.

Days went by and the only interactions Leo had with Takumi could be described by one word: nonexistent.

That is until Niles got arrested… again. Leo didn't know why but Niles would get out eventually. Niles has been to juvie so many times it was practically his second home.

In fact, the first time Leo had met Niles was in 6th grade when Niles decided to break into his house.

Leo sat alone during English class. He had no problems with it as he wasn't the type of person who needed to surround himself with people. It just felt strange not having Niles around, even if he was more than bothersome at times.

"You and a partner will have to rehearse a scene from one of Shakespeare's tragedies, then perform it in front of the class," the teacher stated. Protests quickly filled the room. "But," she continued, "You can chose your partner. Please be responsible and don't chose someone who you'll just mess around with. This is your only project grade for this quarter after all. It should be an easy A, I could've made you write an essay."

Leo silently cursed the teacher, he hated working on group projects. Partners were often times unreliable and Leo preferred to work alone. He considered asking to skip the project and just write an essay but decided against it.

Everyone in the class seemed the gravitate towards their partners, the only two that remained without partners were Leo and Takumi.

Leo's heart sank. Just his luck, of course he'd be paired with Takumi. "So Takumi," Leo said looking around the room to see if anyone else was in need of a partner. "I guess we're partners."

"Yeah," Takumi replied.

Leo tapped his finger on the desk. An awkward silence fell between them neither making an effort to try to break it.

"Leo," Leo heard the teacher call his name, "Who's your partner?"

"Takumi," Leo replied.

"Alright." The teacher wrote it down on a sheet of paper. She walked over to Leo and held out a small tin with folded strips of paper inside. "Pick one."

Leo silently prayed to some god out there that he wouldn't pick the wrong play. Leo held his breath as he read the slip of paper.

Romeo and Juliet, it said in small black letters.

Leo silently cursed. Today was not his lucky day. First he was stuck with Takumi and now he has to perform Romeo and Juliet. Leo wanted to scream

The teacher handed Leo the scripts and moved onto the next group.

"So," Takumi was tapping away at his phone, "What play do we have to perform?"

"Romeo," Leo sighed heavily, "And Juliet."

Takumi dropped his phone onto the desk and his mouth agape. "What? Seriously?" He let out a long drawn out sigh.

Leo couldn't agree more. "Trust me, I don't want to do this either." He sighed once more, "This is our only project grade so we do have to at least try."

"Right," Takumi said. He pursed his lips.

"Since our 'performance' is on Monday, I saw we rehearse sometime this weekend. You know so we at least have everything sort of planned out or something," Leo said. He decided he was going to take charge of the whole operation. If they were going to have to do Romeo and Juliet, they might as well do it right.

"Sounds good to me," Takumi shrugged.

"I'm going to… need your phone number… for contact purposes," Leo said as awkwardly as humanly possible.

Leo handed Takumi his phone and Takumi put in his contact information.

The bell soon rang and Leo headed off to his next class. Throughout the day he couldn't focus. All he could think of is how he had to perform Romeo and Juliet with Takumi. He was going to be a joke. Leo could practically hear the never ending torment already. He thought his days of childhood teasing were in the past but no, they were just beginning.


	3. Chapter 3

Leo and Takumi agreed to rehearse at Leo's house on the following Saturday. When Saturday finally came, Leo felt strangely anxious. His father and brother would be away on a business trip; Camilla would be in and out on nanny jobs; Elise would be at a friend's house for a sleepover. Leo would, for the most part, be alone. However there was something about Takumi coming over to his house that just made Leo feel weird, it was like an invasion of privacy. Truly only Odin and Niles have seen Leo's house and Niles only saw it when he broke in. Leo paced by the window watching the front door to see when Takumi came.

"What are you doing darling?" Camilla asked when she saw Leo waiting.

"Just waiting for someone," Leo replied.

"Who is it?" Camilla asked.

"Takumi," Leo responded. "A new kid at school."

"Takumi?! Are you two friends? Have you invited him over for a play date?" Camilla bombarded Leo with questions.

Leo sighed, "Camilla, I'm in high school. I don't think I've had a play date ever in my life. Also Takumi is coming over because we need to work on an English project."

"Alright darling. I'm going to work. Call me if there's an emergency," Camilla said.

"Yeah yeah," Leo said waving her off.

After a few more moments of waiting, Takumi arrived. His sister drove him, Leo could see a girl with fiery red hair in the driver seat. Unlike her brother, she had very short hair. Takumi stood at the door with his backpack slung over his shoulder and waited for a moment then rang the doorbell.

Leo answered the door and there was an awkward pause before Takumi walked in.

"Nice house," he commented glancing around the foyer.

"Should we go to my room?" Leo asked.

"I mean… if you want," Takumi shrugged.

"Let's go," Leo lead the way up the stairs and towards his room. Leo noticed Takumi stopped in the hallway looking at old photos. "Those pictures are old," Leo said. He silently cursed himself, it sounded stupid but it was the first thing that came to mind.

"You have siblings?" Takumi asked admiring the pictures.

"Yeah. Two older siblings: Xander and Camilla and a younger sister Elise," Leo replied. "What about you?"

"Same here, Ryoma and Hinoka are my older siblings and Sakura is my little sister." Takumi replied.

"Was Hinoka the one who dropped you off today?" Leo asked remembering the red haired girl.

Takumi nodded then pointed to a picture of Camilla," Is that your older sister? The one who usually picks you up afterschool?"

"Yeah," Leo nodded.

"She looks different without purple hair," Takumi commented.

"Yeah she dyed it in like 8th grade and has kept it purple ever since," Leo shrugged.

"Who's that?" Takumi pointed to another picture with a stern looking boy. "Is that you?"

"No," Leo shook his head. "That's Xander."

"Ah, ok," Takumi's eyes darted from picture to picture. His eyes landed on a picture from when Leo was in elementary school. "Is that your little sister?" Takumi was pointing to a little kid with wavy hair down to their shoulders and a thin black headband.

Leo's face grew hot, "No. That's me."

"You looked so cute," Takumi chuckled.

Leo hated how he wore his hair long and that stupid headband when he was a kid. He remembered getting teased and it only got worse as Leo got older. Once middle school hit, Leo chopped off all his hair to a reasonable length, but he still wore his headband. He was still teased for wearing the headband and soon he stopped wearing it.

"Who's this? Is this your mom and dad?" Takumi, seeming to have moved on from the other picture, was looking at a picture of a smiling couple.

"Yeah, that's my dad, but that's not my mom, that's Xander's mom," Leo said. "She died a few years after Xander was born."

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss," Takumi said. It was so cliche but it just seemed like the right thing to say. "Did your dad ever remarry?"

"Not really," Leo said awkwardly. His father never got over Katerina's death. His father soon started to hit the bottle and became the drunken mess Leo knew today. On a few unlucky occasions his father decided to hire some professional company for the exceptionally lonely nights and well Leo wasn't proud to say that himself, Camilla, and Elise were the bastard children of prostitutes.

Takumi seemed to sense Leo's want to drop the conversation so he turned away from the pictures and went towards Leo's room.

Takumi gazed around the room, "Nice room. It's big." The room was a deep grey. A white desk sat against the wall. Leo had a full sized bed with a bedspread that matched the walls. A black bookshelf was pushed next to the desk. Takumi set down his backpack on the floor and took a seat at Leo's desk while Leo sat on his bed. "So…" Takumi gazed around Leo's room. "You like history?" Half of Leo's books on his bookshelf were history books.

"Yeah… so?" Leo asked.

"I like it too," Takumi said.

"Cool. Cool," Leo replied. The room fell silent and tension was thick. "So… we should probably practice?"

"Right," Takumi nodded. He pulled his script from his backpack. "Wait, which scene are we going to do?"

"Umm," Leo flipped through the script to find one that had a dialogue between only two people. "We have to do a scene with only two people so that means act 2 scene 3, act 2 scene 5, act 3 scene 2, act 4 scene 3, and act 5 scene 2. Which one do you want to do?"

Takumi flipped through the script. "Why don't we do act 2 scene 3," Takumi suggested.

"Alright," Leo shrugged. "Do you want to be Romeo or should I?"

"I don't care?" Takumi replied.

"Let's just flip a coin. Heads I'm Romeo, tails you're Romeo," Leo took a coin from his desk and flipped it. "Tails."

"Ok," Takumi grabbed a highlighter sitting on the desk and highlighted Romeo's lines.

Leo started, "The grey-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night." He carefully read his lines while to put the right inflection on his words. Leo stumbled over a few words but managed to get through the ungodly first paragraph of his lines.

"Good morrow, father," Takumi recited his first line.

Leo and Takumi went back and forth reading and rereading their lines. Leo listened as Takumi recited his lines. He felt like he was only listening to find something to criticize but he could find nothing. Takumi did occasionally stumble over his words but Leo did as well. In fact Takumi recited his lines almost perfectly. Leo felt mesmerized by his voice.

"Uh Leo, it's your line," Takumi said. Leo snapped back to the moment. Takumi pointed to Leo's next line, "we're here."

"Right," Leo read his line. His face felt hot. Had he really allowed himself to space off like that?

After the third time reading through the script Takumi intervened. "We've been at it for a while. Why don't we take a break?"

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "Do you want to get something to eat?"

"Sure," Takumi followed Leo to a Wendy's a few blocks away. Leo and Takumi got their food and sat down at a table in the corner of the restaurant. "I haven't had fast food in so long."

Leo couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Takumi was shoving fries into his mouth three or four at a time. Leo, on the other hand, ate his fries one at a time like a normal person. "If you keep eating like that you'll choke."

"Shut up," Takumi said between mouthfuls of fries.

"So…" Leo glanced around at the other patrons.

"So…" Takumi also glanced around the restaurant.

"I can't believe we have to do this stupid project," Leo rolled his eyes leaning back in his chair. He was trying to find something to talk about. Something, anything to break the ice between them. He didn't know why it was so awkward between them but that just seemed to be the way it was or maybe it was just him.

"I don't know, it sort of is fun. It's definitely better than writing an essay," Takumi shrugged. "You're pretty good at your lines. And you also have to read those long paragraphs."

Leo felt his face grow hot. He didn't know why. He wasn't usually easily flustered by petty flattery. "You're really good too," Leo responded.

"Thanks," Takumi said. There was another silence and Takumi pulled out his phone. He began tapping away at it occasionally smiling to himself.

"Who are you always texting?" Leo asked.

"Just my friends," Takumi replied.

"What friends?" Leo asked bluntly.

"Believe it or not I had friends before moving here. I know, seems like a real impossibility," Takumi retorted.

"Ha ha real funny," Leo sneered. "What are their names?"

"Hinata and Oboro," Takumi replied.

"Oh," Leo nodded. "Were you close?"

"Hinata is my ex and Oboro is a good friend," Takumi said.

"Oh was she nice? And why did you two break up?" Leo asked. He was intrigued. It's not that Leo didn't expect Takumi to be interested in girls but the fact that Takumi had hair longer than most girls would be seen as a turn off.

"He," Takumi corrected. "Hinata was my boyfriend. And the breakup was mutual. We both agreed that long distance wouldn't work well."

"Oh…" Leo said. He didn't know how to react. He didn't personally have anything against gay people. Niles was bisexual and one of his closest friends. But Leo's family had a skewed view about homosexuality and it was a touchy subject.

"You interrogated me," Takumi stated. "So now it's my turn to question you."

"Fair enough," Leo shrugged.

"Why don't you wear that black headband anymore?" Takumi asked.

Leo internally cursed, "Why? It was so long ago."

"But it looked nice on you," Takumi said.

"I just don't ok," Leo snapped quite forcefully. He remembered the endless torment from his classmates. "I just don't," he repeated. He collected himself, "Let's just go back to my place."

Takumi nodded. He texted Hinoka and by the time he and Leo got back to Leo's house, Hinoka was waiting outside.

Takumi grabbed his backpack and left. Leo had the rest of the day to himself. For the most part it was uneventful: he took a walk, finished the rest of his homework, and finished the book he was reading. While he was finishing up his book he got a text.

 **Camilla** : Hey can you record the interview it's at 7 on channel 755.

 **Leo** : ok

 **Camilla** : thnx

Leo turned on the TV and recorded his father's interview like Camilla asked. Leo saw as his father and Xander were sitting across from and interviewer.

"Welcome to Channel 755 news' exclusive interview with the head of Nohr Co., Garon and his son Xander," the interviewer announced. She had a wide smile plastered on her face. "It's great to have you two here. How are you doing this evening?"

"Thank you for having us," Xander smiled. He looked chipper and alert in his black suit while his father looked out of it, most likely drunk. "We are doing lovely tonight. How are you?"

"I'm doing great thank you," the interviewer replied.

Leo watched the first half hour of the interview. He cringed at some of his brother's cliche answers. Xander did most of the talking while Garon sat on the side and tried to look alive. Frankly, Leo thought his father may pass out in the middle of the interview. Leo knew Garon was just here for show. 99% of the time Garon was too wasted or hungover to do much of anything for his company so Xander essentially ran the operations. It was only a matter of time until Xander would the the official head of the company.


	4. Chapter 4

Monday came sooner than Leo would've liked. He sat nervously in his seat just waiting for the teacher to call him up toperform. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"You alright?" Takumi asked. "It looks like you're going to throw up."

"Yeah," Leo brushes it off. "Just nerves."

Takumi laughs, "I never would've thought nerves would get to you."

"Yeah… well they do," Leo snapped as he tried to calm his racing heart. He silently cursed himself, he'd never been this nervous about a stupid project.

"Leo, Takumi, you two are up," the teacher said.

Leo's heart raced more than ever and his face felt hot. He slowly got up with his script in hand. He stood in the center of the room as everyone stared at him. He could feel the imminent judgement waiting. For the first time in his life, Leo felt nervous.

"We'll be doing Romeo and Juliet, act 2 scene 3," Takumi said.

"Don't tell me that's the balcony scene," the guys from the back of the class called out. "That's so gay!" He and his idiot friends burst out laughing.

The teacher turned towards the guys and gave them the dirtiest look ever but didn't say a thing. "Ok, just start whenever you're ready," the teacher said turning back towards Leo and Takumi.

Leo took a deep breath, it did nothing to slow his racing heart. He tried to tell himself that the sooner he started the sooner it would all be over. He started reading his lines. He stumbled more than he should've and his flow was choppy. Halfway through the beginning paragraph, Leo tried to compose himself. He knew he was better than this. He glanced at Takumi.

"You can do it," Takumi mouthed.

Leo felt his face grow hot yet somehow Takumi's silent words of encouragement slowed Leo's racing heart. He managed to make it through the rest of the scene with far less mistakes. "Thanks," Leo said as he and Takumi walked back to their seats.

"No problem," Takumi replied.

Leo absentmindedly watched the other performances, some were absolutely horrendous while others had a lot more effort put into them than needed. Leo thought about Takumi. The strange question of whether they were friends or not came to mind. They had been partners on a project and Leo thought they had good enough chemistry; Leo settled on calling Takumi an acquaintance for now.

At lunch Leo decided to do something that he would've never done. He walked over to where Takumi was sitting alone. "Hey Takumi," Leo said. "Would you like to eat lunch with us." Leo motioned towards Niles and Odin.

Takumi hesitated for a moment before shrugging, "Sure."

The pair walked back to Leo's table. "Why hello there," Niles said. He, luckily came back to school after first block so he missed Takumi's and Leo's performance. Leo knew if Niles had seen it the he would never let it go.

"A new face has graced us with its presence. Greetings I am Odin Dark!" Odin announced dramatically.

Takumi stared blankly at the pair. "I'm Takumi," he stated while examining Odin up and down.

Leo noticed Takumi didn't talk at all for the duration of lunch. Takumi flashed a brief smile at Leo then went to his last class.

"Your new friend is quiet," Odin commented.

"Friend? More like boyfriend," Niles grinned. "I see the way you're looking at him. Just one kiss and you'll be hooked on his drug." Niles followed his statement with an air kiss and a wink.

"He's not my boyfriend," Leo snapped, his cheeks were light pink. He tightening his grip on the strap on his backpack and quickly walked to his last class.

"It was just a joke," Niles called after his friend.

Leo didn't know why he got so upset about it. Of course it was just a joke, Niles always made jokes like that. For some reason Niles' joke felt personal. He quickly shook the thought from his mind. He wasn't gay; he didn't like Takumi that way. It was stupid for that thought to ever cross his mind.

* * *

It was tradition for Leo's high school to host a winter dance during the first week of December. Leo thought school dances were one of the dumbest things to ever be created. It was a couple hundred high school students milling around in a dark gym with loud music playing. Yet, people found meaning in them as they scrambled to find dates. Leo was planning on forgetting about the dance just as did with homecoming.

Niles, on the other hand, had other plans. "We should go as a group," Niles said.

"Isn't that what girls do?" Odin asked.

"So?" Niles shrugged.

"That's what girls do," Odin repeated.

"Sounds like it could be fun," Takumi chimed in.

"Ah," Niles grinned. "See, Takumi gets it."

Odin paused and thought for a moment. "Why not?" Odin agreed.

"I'm not so sure about this," Leo said.

"Don't be such a fun-killer," Niles said throwing his arm around Leo's shoulders. "It will be fun. Trust me." He leaned in close and whispered into Leo's ear, "You might even get some alone time with your new boyfriend."

Leo rolled his eyes and pushed his friend away. "I'll think about it."

"That's the spirit!" Niles cheered.

"This is exciting!" Odin said.

Takumi flashed Leo a smile.

Leo went home and debated it. On one hand he could keep his pride, money, dignity, and possibly even sanity. On the other hand he could potentially have the time of his life, as the posters advertising the event had stated. After much debate, Leo ultimately decided to go.

On the night of the dance Odin and Niles pulled up to Leo's house. Camilla had already left for the dance with her boyfriend. "Yo!" Niles hollered honking the horn. "Get in loser. We're going dancing!"

"Let's go," Leo said. He barely had enough time to put on his seatbelt before Niles stepped on the gas pedal and the car was thrust into motion.

Takumi got a ride from his sister and he met the trio at the school. The four entered the gym together.

Cheap streamers decorated the walls as flashing lights illuminated the room. People were dancing, or rather jumping up and down simultaneously, in the center of the gym. Niles and Odin joined the mob of people in the center. Leo and Takumi danced around the edges until they got tired and retreated to the wall.

"This what you expected?" Leo shouted over the music.

"Yup. Living the dream," Takumi replied sarcastically.

Leo laughed. "High school dances are stupid."

"I dunno," Takumi shrugged. "This seems like the peak of life right here. Jumping in sync with everyone else and making out in the dark corners of a high school gym where the teachers can't catch you."

"I wonder if anyone has spiked the punch yet," Leo commented.

"Should we see?" Takumi asked.

"Ok," Leo followed Takumi to the refreshment table. They both drank the punch. The punch was bitter and burned. "Yup, definitely spiked."

Takumi made a face, "Wow that's strong."

"You're not drunk are you?" Leo asked.

"A sip of whatever whoever put in the punchbowl isn't enough to get you drunk," Takumi said. "But it is getting hot in here."

"Wanna take this outside?" Leo asked.

Takumi nodded and the pair exited the school. After Takumi had cooled down a bit, they decided to go back inside.

"Sorry," a teacher apologized. "But once you exit the dance you're not allowed back in."

Leo silently cursed under his breath. He texted Niles that he'd be waiting outside with Takumi. Niles responded with the winking kissy face emoji. Leo rolled his eyes.

"I guess we're stuck," Takumi laughed. The two took a seat on a bench out front of the school.

"Yup," Leo agreed. Leo, for the first time all night, got a good look at Takumi.

Takumi was wearing a navy blue blazer. It seemed a bit old, but he still looked nice. His silver hair was pulled into a ponytail as per usual. He looked really nice.

Leo noticed his gaze lingering on Takumi and immediately looked at the ground. Despite sitting in the cool winter air, Leo's face felt hot. "Y-You look… nice," Leo commented nervously, not daring to break his gaze away from his feet.

"You too," Takumi said.

Leo looked back up to see Takumi looking at him. Something about Takumi's gaze was holding. Leo's heart began to pound in his ears. He felt as he lost control of his body. He reached his hand up and brushed it again Takumi's jawline. He closed his eyes, leaned in close, and kissed Takumi.

Takumi's lips were cool but soft. His breath smelled of the spiked punch. Leo pulled away and opened his eyes to see Takumi staring in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry," Leo quickly apologized. He didn't know why he just did that but something about it felt right.

Takumi's cheeks were pink, "Wow."

The two quickly averted each other's gazes. Leo shivered from the cool night air. Takumi shifted closer to Leo. Leo let his head rest on Takumi's shoulder.

Leo didn't know how long he sat out there with Takumi. Leo felt like he had all the time in the world to think. He wondered why he did it, he was straight… right? Even if he was gay, which he convinced himself he wasn't, his father would definitely not approve. Still, something about Takumi captivated Leo. Leo would be lying if he said he felt nothing when he kissed Takumi. In fact, it scared Leo to think that it felt natural, like it was something he was meant to do. Leo assumed that maybe just maybe he was in love but, on the other hand, maybe he just needed something new in his life. Leo hoped it was the latter.


	5. Chapter 5

Leo didn't remember falling asleep but he remembered waking up to see Niles' face way too close to his own.

"Morning sunshine," Niles grinned.

"What the hell Niles!" Leo nearly punched his friend in the face.

"Woah there," Niles took a step back. "Looks like your boyfriend already left."

Leo looked around to see people leaving the dance. Takumi was no longer sitting next to him. He checked his phone to see a text.

 **Takumi** : Sorry I didn't say bye, I didn't want to wake you. That was fun. Thanks for inviting me :)

Leo smiled to himself. He found himself staring at that text on the ride home. He debated on whether or not he should respond; he ultimately decided not to. Upon arriving home he promptly showered, and went back to sleep.

Leo awoke the next morning to the sun peering through the curtains casting a ray of sunshine on Leo's dark wall. He checked his clock, 8:37 am.

He stared at his ceiling and touched his lips. His mind drifted back to the kiss. It was something that Leo had never felt before. Niles's words echoed in Leo's mind, "just one kiss and you'll be hooked on his drug". He tried to push the thought from his mind.

Throughout the day Leo's mind kept drifting back to Takumi and that kiss. He hated it. How could one kiss cause so much emotion? Leo reasoned that a kiss should either feel magical or like nothing at all. Why did he even kiss Takumi in the first place? He felt so conflicted and it frustrated him. He didn't know what to feel or what to think; it made Leo angry. He picked up a book from his shelf and threw it at his bedroom wall. It landed on the floor with a satisfying thud.

"Leo?" What was that?" His sisters called out to their brother.

He didn't bother to answer. He took each book, one after the other, and threw them against his wall, each landing with a thud. He ignored his sisters' cries of concern. He took his bookshelf and tipped it onto the floor. The rest of its contents went spilling out on the floor. He sat on his fallen bookshelf passive to the hurried footsteps approaching his room. All the anger and frustration had melted away; he was crying.

Camilla and Elise burst into his room seconds later. "Oh Leo," Camilla said sympathetically. "What happened?"

"Nothing Camilla," Leo responded quietly as tears silently rolled down his cheeks.

Camilla took a seat next to Leo. Elise took a seat on the opposite side of him. Neither said anything but wrapped they their arms around Leo. Camilla hummed a little tune like she did when they were kids.

Leo was too mentally and physically exhausted to protest. He just sat in his sisters' arms as tears continued to roll down his face. He was so confused. He didn't know why he was crying but he just couldn't stop. He tried to calm himself down. He took a few shaky breaths to steady his breathing. He wiped the tears away and got up, "I-I'm going for a walk."

"But-" Elise wanted to protest but Camilla stopped her.

Leo walked out of his room and out the door. He let the fresh air try to clear his mind. He could still feel the tear tracks and he felt like the world could see he cried but when he wiped his cheek nothing was there. He hated himself for breaking down like that. It was pathetic to be crying like that. If his father had seen then all hell would've been raised. As he was told before, a proud man does not cry. Still, he had to admit that he felt better. His focus seemed sharper, it was no longer clouded by conflicting thoughts, and he could think more clearly. He took a deep breath taking in the sharp winter air. Leo thought about Takumi and the kiss. He put his fingers to his lips and recalled how he felt when they kissed. It was like something clicked in his head and he just knew there was something about Takumi that made him more important than any of his other friends. Leo sighed as he realized that there was no fighting it, he liked Takumi.

Leo walked into school on the following Monday and he felt exposed. It was as if the revelation that he was gay had changed the whole world's opinion about him even though he hadn't told a soul. He felt like the world was staring at him. It was as if Leo was just waiting for someone to call him out for being gay. He tried to push the thought from his mind. He reminded himself that he hadn't told anyone so how would anyone know?

He sat down and pulled out his book to read before class as he usually did. However, Leo found it hard to concentrate on the story. He kept reading and rereading the same paragraph not taking any of it.

"Hey," someone tapped on Leo's shoulder. Leo jumped and turned around. Takumi was laughing. "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Leo quickly snapped. He closed his book. "So about the winter dance-"

"Yeah, we can just forget that happened," Takumi said.

"Yeah… ok," Leo looked at his desk. He hoped his face wasn't as red as the thought it was. He didn't know why he felt disappointed. Maybe he hoped something would've come from it. At the same time he was sort of glad about Takumi wanting to wipe the slate clean.

"Hey," Niles said approaching them. "Look at these two love birds."

Leo felt his heart stop. Had Niles' seen through him? Since Niles was gay could he see that Leo was gay? Leo wondered if gaydar was even a real thing?

"Funny Niles," Takumi sneered.

"I call it like I see it," Niles grinned.

"Shut up," Leo rolled his eyes. He tried to stay casual and act like nothing was wrong but he felt stiff. Luckily it looked like Niles bought it.

Niles laughed and took his seat, "I'm calling it today, you two are gonna hook up. It's just a matter of time. My OTP, Leokumi."

"Seriously?" Takumi raised an eyebrow. "Leo is straight."

"Yeah," Leo added. He felt horrible for lying through his teeth but he thought part of him was still holding onto the possibility that he was still straight. Leo made his way through the day trying not to act particularly gay, whatever that happened to look like. He tried to keep up his act the following day and the day after that. Leo felt like he was convincing enough because no one seemed to question it… except Niles.

Niles grabbed Leo's wrist while he was walking into the cafeteria. Niles dragged Leo down an empty hallway and into the bathroom. He looked to see that no one was in the stalls or anything.

"What the hell Niles?!" Leo rubbed his wrist.

"We need to talk," Niles stated.

"You should've said that before you dragged me away," Leo hissed.

"What's going on?" Niles' voice was surprisingly serious. "You've never acted this strange."

"Strange?" Leo rubbed his neck and avoided eye contact. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Niles stared blankly at Leo. "Seriously? You're not fooling anyone with your act."

"I'm not acting," Leo nervously laughed. He internally face-palmed. He sounded so unconvincing.

"Are you gay?" Niles was blunt with his question. "I know I make jokes, but my gaydar doesn't lie."

"Gaydar really exists?" Leo asked.

Niles laughed. "Of course. It's like a sixth sense and I'm getting some pretty gay vibes from you."

Leo felt his face flush and he tried to avoid Niles' gaze. "So what if I am?"

"Then Odin owes me ten bucks," Niles retorted. "Kidding… he owes me five."

"I'm serious Niles. Is that really such a big deal if I am… gay. Which I'm not confirming," Leo added quickly.

"You're not denying it either," Niles always seemed to have a counter to everything. "And if you are gay, then you should be gay. Stop pretending to be straight. It hurts my soul, it really does."

Leo wanted to ask what soul but instead let out a long sigh. Niles seemed to alway have the keen ability to read him like an open book. "Well what are you gonna do? Be my gay mentor?"

"If you want," Niles winked. "I'm just saying stop pretending and just do you. Acts are silly and they're so easily seen through. I gotta run, lunch is waiting."

Leo stood in the empty bathroom pondering Niles' words. They were really personal and hit harder than Leo would've liked. He never knew Niles could get so serious. He sighed as he pushed opened the door. For the rest of the day Niles' words tugged at the back of his mind.

Leo laid in bed stared at the ceiling. His body felt exhausted but his mind was still racing. Eventually he gave into accepting Niles' words. Leo walked to his desk and picked up his phone, it was already the early hours of the next day. He composed a long winded text about how he was gay, how he would drop the act, and how he really liked Takumi. His finger hovered over the send button. He shook his head as he deleted the text, it was way too cheesy. He thought for a moment then quickly composed a short and simple text. He hesitated for a moment then let his finger fall onto the send button, there was no turning back now.

Niles texted back almost immediately with a winky face.

Leo rolled his eyes. He set his phone back down onto his desk and climbed back into bed. He felt a sort of peace of mind wash over him as he gazed at the empty ceiling. He rolled his eyes at the thought of Niles going to tell Odin just so he would win five dollars. Leo sighed, perhaps it was a joke or perhaps it was in Niles' nature and couldn't be helped. He rolled onto his side and fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day Leo felt a little more confident. He held his head high as he walked through the halls. He was gay, that was a thing about him and he had accepted it. Although he still wouldn't bother presenting it to the whole world. Niles, and possibly Odin, knowing was plenty. Leo felt as if admitting he was gay made him feel more comfortable. He thought about Takumi, he found himself thinking about Takumi a lot.

"Hello Leo," Niles came and wrapped his arm around Leo's shoulders. "How's my little gay boy?"

"Ugh," Leo slid out from Niles's arms. "N-not so loud," he stammered.

"Look at you being all shy," Niles winked. "It's kind of adorable."

Leo rolled his eyes and walked to class. It's not that he was afraid of telling people he was gay, he was afraid of his father finding out. His family had a close minded view and he didn't know what would happen to him if his father found out. Leo always expected himself to be straight so he hadn't ever thought about it. Now he was hoping he would be living on his own or already dead by the time his father found out, whichever came first. Leo made it through his first day of being openly in the closet, a term Leo had coined to describe not denying one's homosexuality but not being fully open about it to everyone which seemed like the best compromise for now. As Leo was leaving the school, he saw Takumi walk out of a class.

"I'd hate to be a third wheel," Niles smirked as he walked in the opposite direction.

"Hey Takumi," Leo picked up his pace to meet up with Takumi. "Why are you still here?"

"I had stuff to do," Takumi said. "What about you?"

"I was just leaving" Leo replied. The two walked in awkward silence seemingly following one another to nowhere in particular. Leo felt his face grow hot as his thoughts drifted back to the dance. Was he cursed with thinking about that moment whenever he saw Takumi? Leo supposed maybe he didn't want to forget about the dance. "So…" Leo said desparate to break the silence, maybe address the elephant in the room that only he ever seemed to notice

"So…" Takumi shrugged.

"About the winter… uh dance," Leo blurred out. His gaze dropped to the floor.

"I thought we agreed to let it go," Takumi retorted. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes… maybe… I don't know," Leo sighed.

"You don't know?" Takumi stopped walking.

"I… I don't think that kiss was a mistake," Leo felt heat rise to his face but he kept his cool. "Or at least maybe I didn't want it to be a mistake." He didn't know if that was the best way to 'come out' or even if it was officially 'coming out' but he supposed there wasn't anything saying it needed to be a big spectacular occasion.

"R-really?" Takumi seemed to be caught off guard.

Leo looked up to see Takumi trying to hide his blushing face by looking away. "Sorry, I know we said we'd drop it," Leo felt the embarrassment of his statement and he looked away.

"No, no. I mean I get that we promised that but, I mean I just suggested it because I thought you felt uncomfortable and it would just be better if we dropped it," Takumi insisted.

"Takumi, I'm gay," Leo admitted. "And I think you're really cute and I don't think that kiss was a mistake." Leo felt both relief and terror. He felt relieved that he finally had said what had been tormenting his mind but at the same time he feared how Takumi would react.

"Really?" Takumi asked with a little to much zeal. "Because I think you're pretty cute yourself."

Leo was caught off guard by Takumi's comment. He laughed as he hoped his face wasn't as bright as he thought it was. He nodded, "I should… really get going. Camilla's probably been waiting for me for a while."

"Wait," Takumi grabbed Leo's wrist stopping him briefly. "Do you want to maybe hang out this Saturday or something?"

Leo felt relief and maybe even some joy. Something about knowing that his feelings weren't just accepted but we're also reciprocated made Leo feel giddy inside, "Yeah, of course."

"Great," Takumi smiled as he walked away.

"Great," Leo called after him. He turned and nearly walked into a row of lockers. He heard Takumi laugh and he laughed too. Leo walked out the door and hopped into Camilla's car.

"What took so long?" Camilla asked impatiently.

"Just talking to Takumi," Leo subtly smiled. Sure his family was homophobic, but what they didn't know wouldn't kill them.


	7. Chapter 7

Saturday seemed like an eternity away but, eventually, the weekend finally came. Leo and Takumi hadn't really planned what they were going to do.

Camilla dropped Leo off at Takumi's house. It wasn't too far that Leo couldn't reasonably walk, but the day was too cold. "Text me when you need to be picked up," Camilla reminded Leo for, what felt like, the hundredth time.

"Alright Camilla," Leo passively waved his hand as he walked towards Takumi's door. He stopped and hesitated. He would see Takumi's house, like an invasion of privacy. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"I got it!" Leo heard Takumi yell from the other side of the door. Hurried footsteps came down to the stairs. "Hey," Takumi greeted Leo opening the door.

"Hi," Leo replied. The two stared each other for just for a second, until Takumi motioned for Leo to enter. Leo glanced around the foyer. Takumi's house was built nearly identical to his own however it was decorated very different. Takumi's house, despite it being sparsely decorated, had a more homey feel. It reminded Leo of a young couple's home, a bit empty but welcoming.

"So…" Takumi hesitated. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Leo shrugged. He knew both of them had to be thinking of how they should've planned out their "date" better.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Takumi asked.

"Sure," Leo shrugged.

"Let's get some snacks first.," Takumi said walking towards the kitchen. "Let's see what we've got," he rummaged through the pantry.

"I don't think we need-" Leo was cut off by Takumi.

"No popcorn but we got," Takumi came out of the pantry holding a white box, "saltines."

"Saltines? For a movie?" Leo raised an eyebrow.

"White crackers for the white cracker," Takumi joked.

"Whatever," Leo tried not to smile, the joke was so stupid, but he couldn't hide it.

"Let's go to my room," Takumi led the way to his room. Takumi's room was cramped. His bed took up about a third of the room while a desk and bookshelf took up another third. There was limited wiggle room. On his desk sat a picture frame. A smiling Takumi grinned back at Leo.

Takumi sat on his bed with his back against the wall. He had his laptop open to Netflix.

Leo hesitantly sat beside Takumi. "What movie should we watch?" Leo asked.

"Just trust me with this one," Takumi clicked on a movie called _Happy Together_.

Something about the film resonated with Leo. He hoped it wasn't wistful thinking he could run away much like the characters did or insecurity that he felt like he could see himself possibly turning into the abusive Ho.

"You like the movie?" Takumi asked.

"Yeah," Leo said.

"Everytime I watch it, I think I like it that much more," Takumi grinned.

"How'd you find it?" Leo asked. "Did you just google gay movies and stumble upon this one?"

"No," Takumi shook his head. "My sister found it. When I came out she made the family watch the movie, well all except Sakura. I don't really know why but it was a good movie and she had pure intentions."

"How old were you?" Leo asked.

"It was only a few years ago" Takumi explained. "I guess I just never thought about it before then."

"Ah," Leo didn't know how else to react. It surprised him how some people could be so openly gay and still be "normal". He had always been under the impression that gay men were all supposed to be flamboyant and feminine yet here he was and so was Takumi. Leo didn't know how to explain it but he supposed Takumi was openly gay without being obnoxiously stereotypically gay like Niles was at times.

"What about you?" Takumi asked.

"Me?" Leo was confused as to what Takumi was talking about.

"When you came out? How'd your family react?" Takumi asked. "Did your sister do anything crazy like mine did?"

"Oh, I… I um, haven't told them yet," Leo avoided Takumi's gaze. "They still don't know… at least not yet."

"Oh, I thought they'd be the first ones to tell," Takumi commented.

"My family isn't the most… open-minded on the subject," Leo wished Takumi would drop the subject. His family was the last thing he wanted to talk about. He didn't want to say how that if he were to come out then he would be ridiculed behind his back and shunned by his family, at the very least. He didn't even want to think of what his father would do if he found out.

"Oh…" Takumi didn't know how to respond.

"It's alright though," Leo said. "Once I graduate, I'm getting out of this stupid town."

"Where will you go?" Takumi asked.

"I don't know but at long as if it's far from here then I'm fine," Leo said.

"Won't you miss your family?" Takumi asked. He questioned how anyone could leave their family behind without a second thought.

"Maybe…" Leo thought about it. Maybe Takumi was right. He'd probably miss Camilla, who was like a mom to him. And Elise who seemed to keep a cheery demeanor and was always the motivational little sister. But at the same time, maybe it would be better just to run away and never have to look back. Leo never thought about the future, he had always assumed he'd work for his father's company under Xander. Although, at the same time, he had assumed he was straight and it was obvious that wasn't true, so Leo was unsure of what the future held. Leo quickly changed the subject, "Why don't we play a game?"

"What game do you have in mind?" Takumi asked.

"Do you know how to play chess?" Leo asked.

"Yeah," Takumi nodded.

"Then let's play," Leo and Takumi played chess until Camilla came to pick Leo up. They managed to play a total of two games; Leo had won one and Takumi's won the other.

"How was your little play-date," Camilla asked.

"It wasn't a 'play-date', we were just hanging out," Leo said looking out the window.

"Well how was hanging out?" Camilla asked.

"It was… good," Leo said. He had fun spending time with Takumi. In fact, Leo found himself wanting Monday to come just so he see Takumi again.

"Why are you so smiley?" Camilla asked.

"Well…" Leo debated whether to tell Camilla. She was like his mother and she was understanding, but was she understanding enough. If he were to tell her then would she just turn around and tell Father. He pushed the thought away. Camilla was his big sister. She wouldn't betray his trust like that. Maybe Takumi was right, maybe his family should know. "I… like boys," Leo said. He tried to be a straight forward as possible. He didn't want Camilla to think he was confused about his sexuality. He hoped she would somehow understand and wouldn't keep him from seeing his male friends. It would be a nightmare if he were forbidden to see Takumi.

"You… like boys?" Camilla asked.

"Yeah," Leo responded. He tried to avoid her gaze.

"Well…" Camilla pursed her lips. A dreadful silence fell between the two.

Leo felt his heart drop. If he would rewind any moment in his life, this would be that moment. Regret set in as he realized what he had done. "I-" Leo went to defend himself and try to retract his statement but Camilla had interrupted him.

"You know you're still changing," Camilla said. "When I was your age I dated people I wouldn't have dated today."

"You're only two years older than me," Leo argued.

"Right but that doesn't mean people can't change," Camilla said. "I'm just saying that in two years you may not like the same people you like today."

Leo realized Camilla didn't believe him. She was saying his homosexuality was just a phase. He internally scowled. How could she not believe him? Leo doubted there wasn't anything he was more certain of. In fact, he would have loved if it were just some phase but he knew he it wasn't. It couldn't be, the feelings were too real. He knew being gay meant a life of ridicule and being an outsider in his own family. He would never willingly ask for that. "Yeah you're right," Leo said. He decided to let Camilla think it was just a phase. It would be better than the alternative. It was obvious that no matter how much it seemed like Camilla would understand, she was still their father's daughter.


	8. Chapter 8

School couldn't come soon enough for Leo. Even though he did text Takumi frequently, being able to talk to Takumi in person was the better than texting any day. Admittedly, he was more excited to see Takumi than he should've been. After all they were only just friends… right?

"Hey!" Takumi perked up when he saw Leo.

"Hi," Leo couldn't help but smile. "I had a lot of fun this weekend."

"Great!" Takumi grinned.

"So-" Leo was interrupted by Niles.

"There are my favorite homos," Niles threw his arm around Leo's shoulders. "Do have you two made out yet? Did the do?" He winked. He saw Leo and Takumi's confused and slightly annoyed glances. "What?! Haven't you two at least cuddled yet? Pathetic. You're boyfriends and you haven't even cuddled. A pity."

"Boyfriends?!" Leo exclaimed. "No, we were just hanging out."

"He's gay. You're gay," Niles said pointing at both Leo and Takumi. "And you both like each other. There is no hanging out. It's you're either dating or one of you is straight."

"But-" Leo tried to argue with Niles' logic but couldn't find a rational argument. He supposed even he wanted the movie to be his first date with Takumi.

"Are we dating?" Takumi asked Leo.

Leo wanted to shout yes and kiss Takumi again but he restrained himself from making a scene in front of his whole class. "Do you want to?" Leo calmly asked.

"Sure, if you want to too," Takumi reflected the question back at Leo.

Sure!" Leo replied enthusiastically.

"Aw how sweet," Niles clasped his hands together. "I knew you two were absolutely perfect for each other. The one and only Leokumi. You two got together sooner than I would have hoped though," Niles frowned, "I now owe Odin ten bucks."

After class Leo walked beside Takumi to Takumi's next class. Leo stared at the ground debating whether or not to take Takumi's hand. He let his fingers brush against Takumi's. Leo tried to calm himself, he didn't need to get so worked up over a trivial relationship matter. Leo took a deep breath and interlaced his finger's with Takumi's. Leo looked at Takumi and smiled sheepishly. "We've just got today and tomorrow until it's finally winter break," Leo commented trying to break the silence.

"Yeah," Takumi glanced around the crowded hallway. "Do you have any plans?"

"I don't think so," Leo tried to think of if Camilla had brought up anything she had wanted to do.

"If you don't have any plans, would you like to come over for New years?" Takumi asked.

"Yeah," Leo's heart fluttered.

* * *

Leo was, unlike every other year, excited for the new year. This wasn't just some holiday used as his father as another excuse to get drunk, nor was it a pitiful reminder of another miserable year. Leo headed over to Takumi's place. Though it was cold and snowy, Leo didn't mind. He would've walked through a blizzard to get to Takumi's place. He could have asked Camilla to drive him, but he didn't trust his expression not to betray his excitement.

He rang the doorbell and Takumi answered. "Hey, come in come in," Takumi said.

Leo left his snowy boots at the door. He walked into the dining room where a nice tablecloth was set on the table. Leo wondered if it were just decoration much like he had in his own house. "What is this? A feast?" Leo laughed.

"Of course, nothing better to usher in the new year than good food," Ryoma interjected. Like his younger brother, Ryoma had very long hair. Leo wondered if it were tradition that the males of Takumi's have long hair while the females keep it cropped short.

"Is this something you do every year?" Leo asked.

"Yes, now go help Takumi set the table," Hinoka said handing Leo a stack of napkins and silverware.

Leo was caught off guard. Not that he expected royalty treatment, but he wasn't used to people, for lack of a better word, order him around. Still, Leo obliged unwilling to be rude. He followed Takumi putting a napkin and silverware next to each plate Takumi placed. Leo could see into the kitchen where Ryoma and Sakura were cooking and Hinoka was filling glasses.

"Leo, do you like iced tea?" Hinoka asked.

"Yes," Leo nodded as Hinoka poured him a glass. She, with Takumi's help, set the glasses at each setting. There were four glasses of iced tea and only one with water.

Leo wondered how all the motions seemed so natural. Unlike with his family where every act seemed forced and calculated to seem normal. He felt really out of his area. He felt unable to help; he didn't even know in what way he should've helped. His thoughts were interrupted by Takumi pulling on his hand to go into the kitchen.

In the kitchen Takumi's family made a half circle linking hands. Leo held Takumi's hand on his left and felt a small hand brush his on the right. He looked over to see Sakura. He gave her a, what he believed to be, comforting smile. She gave him a shy smile back and gently took his hand. They all closed his eyes and Ryoma said a prayer. Leo followed but instead of listening to Ryoma, the strangeness of the situation was run over again and again in his mind. Leo didn't even fathom that families could jut be and do without having everything feel like it's forced or an obligation.

After the prayer, Leo followed everyone else's lead like he had been doing a majority of the night. He went into the dining room to retrieve his plate then returned to the kitchen.

"Guests first," Ryoma smiled motioning towards the various pots and containers on the stove and counter tops.

Leo went, with a bit of urging from Takumi, and looked at all the various dishes. It all seemed more fitting for a thanksgiving dinner, let alone the fact that there seemed to be more food than the amount of people warranted. Leo ended up making himself a humble plate, not wanting to too much or too little. Leo strove for what he believed to be a nice balance. He walked back to the dinning room and sat himself at a seat with iced tea.

Takumi shortly joined thereafter. The other three seemed to hold off returning to the dining room, not that you couldn't see the dining room from the kitchen, but the privacy of not being physically in the room was an appreciated gesture. "How do you feel?" Takumi asked.

"I guess I'm just not used to it; all this family stuff that is," Leo admitted but instantly regretted. He didn't know why but he had this philosophy that if he just didn't verbally acknowledge the problem, the problem ceased to exist. It was a childish thought but for some reason, Leo stuck true to it for the most part.

"Well better get comfortable because my family is very into this 'family stuff'," Takumi teased.

Ryoma, Hinoka, and Sakura entered the kitchen deeming that the pair had a reasonable time alone. The three took their seats; Ryoma sat at the seat with the water cup. "So Leo, we have this family tradition," Ryoma spoke. "Every new years eve, we start dinner going around saying a high and a low of the year. Do you want to start? You don't have to if it makes you feel uncomfortable."

Leo thought it was silly to try and summarize the year into one good and one bad, let alone deciding what is the absolute best or worst thing of the year. "Ok," Leo shrugged. "My high was . . . meeting Takumi. And my low . . ." Leo thought about everything that went wrong in the year. He decided the nightly shouting matches he was witness to were off the table. "Sorry, I can't think of anything really," Leo smiled as he lied through his teeth. No doubt Takumi and his family saw through his lie but he was glad that they didn't press for more information. Leo listened as the others listed the highs and lows of the year. Leo noticed that moving away was a common low between siblings.

"Do you have any siblings Leo?" Hinoka asked. "Two older siblings, Xander and Camilla, and a younger sister, Sakura." Leo said. "It's a lot like this family," he meant in the rough ages of all his siblings.

"What do your parents do?" Ryoma asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

Leo shrugged, "My dad is the head of a technology company." Nohr Co. wasn't a very big or well known company, Leo thought that all anyone hoped for would be to be bought out by a bigger company. "My mom is-" Leo cut himself off. He didn't actually know his mother. He didn't know, and in all honesty didn't care, if she were still alive. "What about you?" Leo asked. It was obvious mom and dad were missing from new years eve dinner but he didn't know if that were because they were away on business or gone. "If you don't mind me asking," Leo added as a tension breaker in case their situation was the latter.

"I work at an accounting firm," Ryoma said. "Our parents are no longer around." By the way Ryoma spoke, it seemed like their parents' deaths were a scar from the past rather than a freshly opened wound. However, the other three's behavior suggested a different story.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Leo said. "What about you Hinoka, are you going to college?" Leo asked. He tried bringing up a different subject of conversation and she looked around Camilla's age.

"Yeah," Hinoka said. "I'm studying to be an aerospace engineer."

"Oh really? How do you like it?" Leo asked.

Leo listened to Hinoka talking about flying and exactly how flight works and how it can be improved. He didn't quite understand everything but was glad to have just changed the topic of conversation.

Ryoma let out a hearty laugh, "Hinoka has always wanted to fly. When she was younger-"

"Ryoma!" Hinoka interrupted him, her cheeks as bright as her hair.

"She jumped from a window with her homemade hang glider," Ryoma said trying to stifle his laughter. "It wasn't that far of a fall but Hinoka still broke her ankle."

"I remember that," Sakura giggled. "She had to walk around on crutches for months."

"And then she had that giant plastic boot," Takumi added.

Leo assumed the story would've been funnier if he knew more of the circumstances. He still laughed as if he understood why a child jumping from a window were a funny thing. Dinner continued with this superficial conversation about strange childhood memories while the topic of dead parents never reared its head again.

* * *

After dinner, Leo and Takumi just waited for the Time Square New Year's ball to drop. After musical acts, celebrities making stupid jokes, and empty new year's promises, the timer was down to its final minutes. Takumi and Leo cuddled in Takumi's bed watching the broadcast on Takumi's laptop.

"So what's your new year's resolution?" Takumi asked.

"I'm not sure," Leo shrugged. He never bothered to think about new year's resolutions. If people wanted to better themselves, why don't they do it in the moment rather than wait for a new year to roll around. "What about you?"

"I think I have everything I want," Takumi said putting his arm around Leo.

Leo put his head on Takumi's chest and watched as the seconds ticked down.

"Five, four, three, two," Takumi counted down unenthusiastically, especially when compared to those on the TV. A contented smile formed on his lips. "One," Takumi kissed Leo on the head.

"Hey Takumi? Do you want any-" Ryoma opened Takumi's door and saw the pair on Takumi's bed.

Leo's eyes went wide. He quickly lifted his head nearly hitting Takumi in the jaw. Leo opened his mouth to say something but he didn't exactly know how to validate the situation so he ended up just opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

Ryoma closed the door with a mumbled, "maybe later."

"I'll go talk to him," Takumi said getting up and rushing out the door.

Leo was left in a mild panic. He and Takumi haven't been together for long. Heck, he hasn't even been gay, at least to his own acknowledgment, for all that long. But he was so afraid that it would all be ruined. He saw himself with Takumi and it was stupid wistful thinking, but Takumi made him happy. Leo wanted to be happy; why was the world working against his happiness?

Takumi reentered the room. "Hey I talked to my brother, he won't tell. He said it's not his place to get involved in my relationships. Your family won't find out."

"But what if they do?" Leo asked jumping up from the bed. His mind was too muddled with fear.

"If they do, then, we'll deal with that when it comes," Takumi said holding Leo close.

"After we graduate, I'm running away." Leo said taking a shaky breath.

"Ok," Takumi said. "Ok. Wherever you run, just say the word and I'll come running too." Takumi kissed Leo on the cheek, "Happy new year's love."


End file.
